Baseline characteristics
| Baseline variable | NICE (n=60) |
| Age, ys, (median (range)) | 65 (48–74) |
| Gender | |
| Male | 50 (83.3%) |
| Female | 10 (16.7%) |
| ECOG performance status | |
| 0 | 57 (95.0%) |
| 1 | 3 (5.0%) |
| Tumor length, cm (median (range)) | 5.5 (3.5–14.0) |
| LLD, mm (median (range)) | 30.3 (17.4–49.0) |
| SDL, mm (median (range)) | 10.2 (7.8–18.2) |
| Tumor location | |
| Upper | 9 (15.0%) |
| Middle | 36 (60.0%) |
| Lower | 15 (25.0%) |
| Clinical tumor stage | |
| T2 | 9 (15.0%) |
| T3 | 47 (78.3%) |
| T4 | 4 (6.7%) |
| Clinical nodal stage | |
| N2 | 55 (91.7%) |
| N3 | 5 (8.3%) |
| Clinical stage | |
| III | 51 (85.0%) |
| IVa | 9 (15.0%) |
| PD-L1 expression | |
| CPS ≥1 | 44 (73.3%) |
| CPS<1 | 6 (10.0%) |
| TPS ≥50% | 10 (16.7%) |
| TPS <50% | 40 (66.7%) |
| Unknown | 10 (16.7%) |
CPS, Combined Positive Score; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; LLD, lesion longest diameter; NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; SDL, short diameter of the largest regional lymph node; TPS, Tumor Proportion Score.